Local government meets to increase health and safety to workers
Richmond, B.C., September 16, 2009 —Almost 300 delegates from municipalities, school boards and other public sector organizations across B.C. and Canada are meeting in Whistler to “Share the Knowledge” about how to better protect their workers from injury, death or disease while on-the-job.
The bi-annual BC Municipal Occupational Health and Safety Conference, co-sponsored by CUPE BC, Metro Vancouver and WorkSafeBC, provides a forum for all governments, municipalities, school boards and other public sector agencies to exchange success strategies on health and safety issues through a series of presentations, workshops and panel discussions.
“Our sessions are diverse,” said Cathy Cook, Conference Chairperson and Executive Director of the BC Municipal Safety Association (BCMSA). “We address the differing training and supervision needs of both an aging workforce and their incoming replacements, who often are young workers. And, there will be an in depth description of the Certificate of Recognition Program (COR) that recognizes and financially rewards employers who go beyond what is required by Regulation to improve workplace safety by proactively introducing safety management systems and return-to-work programs”.
The BC Municipal Safety Association is a non-profit society which provides a common focal point for occupational health and safety concerns in the municipal environment. Its purpose is to identify, address and create learning opportunities on the safety issues facing members. All employers in the Local Government and Related Operations Classification Unit are members of the BCMSA.
“The BCMSA has matured as an organization and very clearly understands its mandate to create programs and initiatives that will have a positive affect on the injury rate of their workers,” said Al Johnson, WorkSafeBC’s Lower Mainland Regional Director of Construction and Hospitality. “This year’s addition of the Certificate of Recognition program will be a benefit both to workers as they see increased protection on their job sites and to employers who will be rewarded through a reduction in their assessments.”
There are approximately 629 employers registered in the WorkSafeBC local government sector. Between 2004 and 2008, more than 9,100 injury claims including 27 fatalities were accepted. The work in this sector can include road repair, park maintenance, firefighting, community planning or libraries.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves about two million workers and more than 200,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born from the historic compromise between BC’s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.
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For more information, contact: |
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| Gladys Johnsen |
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